Arase called for support to create awareness for women to show interest in police work and to support their progress in service.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, on Tuesday met with Beatrice Eyong, Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS of the United Nations Women where he pledged the commission’s commitment to restoring the dignity of policewomen.
Arase admitted, in his visit to the Nigerian office of the United Nations, that discrimination against women including policewomen was real, and said the PSC needed strategic partnership with the world organisation to improve the welfare and self worth of the Nigerian policewomen.
The former Inspector General of Police disclosed that the commission under his watch would ensure a recruitment policy redirection that would see more women into the Nigeria Police so that they could compete favourably for management positions in the Force.
The PSC chairman was confronted with the absence of women in the core policy positions in the police with the glaring situation where no woman is currently a state command commissioner throughout the country.
He noted that the world has moved and that there must henceforth be equity and balance in the appointment of officers in the Nigeria Police Force.
According to him, “We will use data and statistics to engage the leadership of the Nigeria Police to ensure that women are properly represented in the decision making positions of the Force.”
Arase called for the support of the organisation to create the necessary awareness for women to show interest in police work and to support their progress in service.
He promised to ensure that state commands soon have women CPs who would be appointed on merit and capacity.
READ ALSO:
PSC boss, Arase for honour at Okpekpe race
He called for support in capacity building for women in the police such as mentoring programmes in police training institutions like ‘Train the Trainer’ and simplifying the gender policy of the police.
Arase disclosed that the first gender desk in the Nigeria Police was put in place under his watch, adding that there was need for sufficient training for women police working in the desk so that they can work with emphathy and have adequate communication skills to manage issues as they arise.
He invited the Country Representative to also create time to present lectures at police colleges with her colleagues to motivate women police officers undergoing training.
Eyong said the organisation is interested in the reform of the security sector as it affects women police.
She promised to assist provide technical support and quality coordination to ensure gender equality.
Eyong called for autonomy for the gender desk in the Nigeria Police but frowned that as of today there is no woman state command commissioner of police in the country.
Eyong called for the support of the commission to rectify the gender inequality in the state commissioner cadre presently in the police.
